When the mayor decides that the doors of the police academy be open to any and all, the applicants swarm forth like hordes of losers in a colorful assortment of nonregulation sizes, shapes and eccentricities.

Movie Reviews

Original and Best

R.THOMPSON | St. Louis, Missouri | 02/09/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was a great movie from a lost age of silly moviemaking. While the sequals were too trying, the original is a classic from the 80s. Porky's, Animal House, Stripes and Police Academy are all cut from the same mold. Silly, mindless fun. This was when movies were dumb and a whole lot more fun!"

First and only good movie in the series

Daniel J. Hamlow | Narita, Japan | 07/31/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On March 4 of this year, the newly elected mayor announced that she was changing the hiring practices of the city's police force. No longer would height, weight, sex, education, or physical strength be used to keep new recruits out of the Metropolitan Police Academy. Hundreds of people who never dreamed of becoming police officers signed up immediately. Naturally, the police completely freaked. -opening prologue of Police Academy.

OK, so this is dated in terms of style and the chauvinism rampant in 80's comedies, but seeing it again for the first time in nearly twenty years brought back some nostalgic memories. Granted, it's not an all-time classic, but hey, at least it's not as raunchy as American Pie.

Diehards of the old school like academy chief and Lieutenant Thaddeus Harris work on a plan to make things tough for the new recruits, not by throwing them out but to make their training so miserable, they'll quit on their own accord. Harris handpicks a Mutt-and-Jeff pair (both with crewcuts, no less) named Copeland and Blankes to help him weed out the scumbuckets, dirtbags, or whatever unpleasant name he has for the other recruits. Yes, they'll learn about firearms, local laws, police procedure, and many many other things. Well, it's mainly the first and last that happen in this classic 80's comedy.

Then again, they were up against the likes of Carey Mahoney, the Monsignor Larvelle Jones, the suave lounge lizard George Martine, Leslie Barbara, Doug Fackler, and Tackleberry. Mahoney is the main character and he's at the Academy as part of a deal with his friend Captain Reed, of a choice between the academy or the lockup for another minor offense. And he can't quit as part of the deal-hence he tries to get himself kicked out by his antics. For the most part, the main victim is Lieutenant Harris. The funniest moment involves Harris, a borrowed motorcycle, a parked car, and Harris flying into the air towards the rear end of a horse. To which Mahoney says, "Someone call a veterinarian!" Basically, some of the plot involves Mahoney pulling a prank on Harris, and either being called to Harris's office or being forced to do punitive exercises supervised by Harris or his handpicked student squad leaders, Copeland and Blankes. However, Mahoney plays a real nasty and funny trick on those two involving the innocuously named Blue Oyster Bar. And as for Commandant Lassard, that involves a funny moment at a podium.

Larvelle Jones has to be my favourite character here. He has an uncanny gift for sound effects, and when he and Mahoney first meet at the police station waiting room, he demonstrates his ability by imitating a machine gun. Another one has him imitating the squishing sounds shoes make as the inspecting officer walks past the row of recruits on the academy lawn.

Mahoney's roommate, Tackleberry, is a gung-ho type who wouldn't be out of place in Vietnam. Call him a more comic version of Animal Mother in Full Metal Jacket. He has guns that blow the heads off the firing range targets and his funniest moment involves the firearms drill, where he goes nuts. When he says, "It's time this cop met the public," watch out!

But there are others. Laverne Hooks, a short gentle black with a shy, timid voice, Doug Fackler, whose specialty is slapstick, mainly being clumsy at someone else's expense, Lesley Barbara, a chubby white guy and another timid soul, and Hightower, a quiet, towering black man who seems most likely to succeed, except for one thing that he needs help. And this is one of Kim Cattrall's early films. She plays Karen Thompson, Mahoney's love interest, at least when he's not asking her to bare her thighs.

Steve Guttenberg (Mahoney), Michael Winslow (Jones), and David Graf (Tackleberry) boost this comedy, as does G.W. Bailey (Harris). But the others are good too. This is the best of the seven movie series. Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there."

Admit it, YOU LOVED IT!

Phillip Smith | Avondale, PA, USA | 01/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"7 movies, a cartoon series, a comic book, a revival TV series, and now...20 years later...THEY'RE BAAACK! Those wacky cops we've all grown to know and love (admit it!) are back in an all new 20th Anniversary DVD! It's Police Academy like you've never seen it before! Digitally re-mastered and available for the first time in WIDESCREEN! This all new Edition will feature the followingCommentary by Steve Guttenberg, Michael Winslow, Leslie Easterbrook, G.W. Bailey, director Hugh Wilson and producer Paul MaslanskyBehind Academy Doors: Secret Files Revealed - all-new reunion documentary and the original Theatrical trailerAt the same time of the release, the Police Academy sequels will be available to own FOR THE FIRST TIME ON DVD! 2,3,6,and 7 will be available in Widescreen with 4 and 5 in Full Frame and each DVD will have a newly created Featurette and their original theatrical trailers!So warn all your friends and family because the guys (and gals!) in blue are coming back!"MOVE IT MOVE IT MOVE IT!""

"Tackleberry, we really need to talk."

Buck Murdock | the place | 01/07/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is by far the best and most consistently funny of the 7 Police Academy films. They pretty much got worse as they went on. Some of the funniest gags take place in this one: Tackleberry going nuts during obstacle training, Harris driving the motorbike into the back of a horse, Hightower tearing the seats out of the car and also flipping one over with his hands, the infamous podium/hooker scene, and of course Mahoney and Jones(the sound effect guy) have several funny scenes. Fans of the series will want to have this. The DVD isn't bad for a cheap one. It includes only the full screen version(bummer), the languages/subtitles(of course), cast and crew bios, interactive menus where you can read facts about the film, a reel recommendations section which suggests another Steve Guttenburg film and other films that are also funny (such as Austin Powers), and a scene selection which is common but welcome. The best part of the DVD other than the film itself is the inclusion of all 7 theatrical trailers for each Police Academy film. Genuinely funny and contrary to other reviews, this is no where near the worst film ever made. See it for yourself many many many times on many many many different occasions (inside Police Academy joke)."

THE MOVIE THAT STARTED THE WHOLE SERIES

MICHAEL TAYLOR | RICHMOND, VA USA | 08/01/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A MALCONTENT [STEVE GUTTENBERG] GETS FORCED TO ENLIST IN THE POLICE ACADEMY. VERY FUNNY AND ENTERTAINING ON ALL LEVELS. THE HIGHLIGHT OF THIS FILM IS MICHAEL WINSLOW, THE MAN WHO PLAYS LARVELL JONES, WHOSE A HUMAN SOUND EFFECTS MACHINE. A CULT CALSSIC BY ALL MEANS. OF COURSE, THERE'S NOTHING SPECIAL ABOUT THE SCRIPT OR ITS STORY, BUT IT'S JUST FUNNY. A MUST FOR ANYONE THAT LIKES TO LAUGH THEIR A.. OFF. FOLLOWED BY SIX SEQUELS, AN ANIMATED TV SERIES, AND INSPIRED A LIVE-ACTION TV SERIES."